Dani Pedrosa emerged victorious from a three-man race-long battle for first place at the eni Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland, with Jorge Lorenzo wrestling second from Casey Stoner on the final corner of a thrilling Round 9 race. Repsol Honda’s Pedrosa had his usual great start, taking the hole shot ahead of Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing) and Stoner (Repsol Honda) when the lights went out for a race which was to be a 30-lap fight to the finish at Sachsenring. The Spaniard’s win is his fifth Grand Prix victory at the Sachsenring circuit, and came in only his second race after returning from a three-race absence through injury. At the end of lap one, Lorenzo was in the lead ahead of the three Repsol Hondas of Pedrosa, Stoner and Dovizioso, who fought amongst each other for second until the Australian made his attack on lap five to take the lead, only to have Lorenzo regain the lead status a few laps later. The Mallorcan then tried desperately to defend his line, until lap 21 when Pedrosa got a huge drive out of the last corner to launch himself into the lead for the last time. Meanwhile a three-rider battle for fourth ensued behind the leaders between Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini Team), Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda) and Ben Spies (Yamaha Factory Racing), out of which Italian Dovizioso crossed the line first, two-tenths of a second in front of American rider Spies and four-tenths ahead of fellow countryman Simoncelli. Héctor Barberá (Mapfre Aspar) had an off-track excursion in the early stages of the race, but then staged a great comeback from the back of the pack to finish eleventh, in front of Karel Abraham (Cardion AB Motoracing). Stoner continues to top the Championship, and now has 168 points which leaves him 15 points ahead of defending World Champion Lorenzo.
— Yamaha Report The Grand Prix of Germany provided some of the most exciting racing yet this season as Yamaha Factory Racing riders Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies kept it to the last corner to deliver second and fifth places respectively. Mugello race winner Lorenzo spent the entire 30 lap race distance embroiled in a battle at the front with Championship leader Casey Stoner and fellow Honda rider Dani Pedrosa. Having retained second off the grid, the Yamaha Factory rider passed Stoner with 17 laps to go. As the laps counted down Lorenzo conceded first to Pedrosa then second to Stoner before coming back with a stunning pass on the last corner of the last lap to steal second place back at the line. Spies dropped one place to sixth off the start line, the Texan battling with a lack of grip that prevented him from closing down the front group early on. A consistent pace for the majority of the race saw a lonely ride holding position until his patience paid off as Marco Simoncelli and Andrea Dovizioso were gradually reeled in. The fighting of the two in front made it difficult to make a pass on the twisty track. Spies held off until the last corner on the last lap to pass Simoncelli for fifth, echoing his team mate’s pass on Stoner just seconds earlier at the same spot. Denying Stoner second place means Lorenzo has now taken a step to close the Championship lead down, trailing by just 15 points with a total of 153 as they head to Laguna Seca. Team mate Spies holds onto sixth position, now just 13 points behind Valentino Rossi in fourth. Jorge Lorenzo / Position 2nd – Time +1.477 Ben Spies / Position 5th – Time +10.719 Wilco Zeelenberg – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha Factory Racing Team Director Edwards and Crutchlow collect valuable points in Germany Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team riders Colin Edwards and Cal Crutchlow collected valuable points after both were engaged in exciting battles throughout today’s German MotoGP race at the Sachsenring. Edwards delivered a determined ride throughout the 30-lap encounter, the American shrugging off the lingering affects of a nasty sore throat to finish in a hard fought 10th place. Edwards was locked in a captivating four-rider battle for seventh that included Alvaro Bautista, Valentino Rossi and compatriot Nicky Hayden, who are all riding full factory machinery. But with four laps remaining he had to abandon his pursuit of the trio in front when he enco untered a rear grip problem in the left-hand corners. Edwards though was still satisfied having set a personal best race time at the Sachsenring, which has traditionally been a bogey track for the 37-year-old. He is now confident and looking forward to competing for a top six finish in his crucial home round at the Laguna Seca in California next weekend. Crutchlow meanwhile rode with typical aggression and he produced a fantastic ride under intense pressure to keep Randy de Puniet, Hector Barbera and fellow MotoGP rookie Karel Abraham at bay in 11th position. Battling a lack of front-end feel that Crutchlow had worked tirelessly to improve over the course of the weekend, the British rider was unable to keep his line entering Turn 3 on lap 26 and he dropped back to 14th place. The 25-year-old quickly got back into his rhythm, but despite launching a concerted effort to reclaim the lost places, he finished less th an 0.5s away from 11th. Colin Edwards / Position 10th – Time +33.491 Cal Crutchlow / Position 14th – Time +39.477 Hervé Poncharal / Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team Manager — HRC Report Just two weeks after returning from injury, Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V) was back on the top step of the podium at the Sachsenring today after a thrilling race-long battle with reigning World Champion Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha) and current points leader Casey Stoner (Repsol Honda RC212V). The trio dominated the race, all of them taking their turn to lead, but in the end it was Pedrosa who had winning speed, the Spaniard crossing the finish line 1.477s ahead of Lorenzo. It was a heroic weekend’s work from the former 125 and 250 World Champion who had missed the Catalan, British and Dutch rounds with a fractured collarbone that required two operations. Andrea Dovizioso (Repsol Honda RC212V) continued his strong run of results, running with the leaders in the first half of the race and taking fourth place after a frantic battle with Marco Simoncelli (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) who was beaten into sixth by Ben Spies (Yamaha) at the final turn. Stoner started the race from pole position, but played it safe in the very early stages, slipping to fourth on the first lap. Anxious to prevent his tyres from overheating – this anti-clockwise circuit places huge stresses on the left side of the tyres – Stoner was planning to save his best for last. He started moving forward on lap four, passing Pedrosa, then the next lap bettering Dovizioso and Lorenzo to take the lead, but he couldn’t break away. Lap after lap, Lorenzo stayed close, with Pedrosa, Dovizioso and Simoncelli swapping positions right behind. Then on lap 14 Lorenzo dived inside Stoner at turn 12. The Yamaha man managed to pull a gap of six tenths in a couple of laps, Stoner apparently struggling as his RCV got lively in some of the circuit’s fast, undulating turns. Sure enough, on lap 16 Pedrosa went past his team-mate at turn one and set off in pursuit of Lorenzo. It took him just five laps to catch his fellow Spaniard, zooming ahead on the start-finish at the start of lap 22 after Lorenzo lost drive out of the final turn. Pedrosa was in sensational form, quickly making the break, leaving the other two to dispute second place. Not surprisingly, Pedrosa was exhausted in the final stages, but the remarkably resilient 25-year-old didn’t slacken. Only after the race did he reveal that he has been suffering from anaemia, probably the result of going under the knife twice in recent weeks. This was his second win of the year and his fifth at the Sachsenring – three on MotoGP bikes and two on 250s. Stoner’s hopes of keeping his tyres from getting too hot came to nothing. In the final lap it was obvious that he was lacking grip in left-handers, which allowed Lorenzo to close right up on him halfway through the lap then dive inside at the final corner. That pass cost Stoner four points and shrank his World Championship lead to 15 points, with nine races done and nine to go. The Dovizioso v Simoncelli also duel went all the way to the flag, Spies joining the two Italians in the final two laps and splitting them at the finish. Dovizioso’s fourth place – 10.5s down on the winner – means he hasn’t finished outside the top four in the last seven races. His consistency is paying dividends in the title hunt – he is currently a very strong third, 21 points behind Lorenzo and 36 behind Stoner. Simoncelli was disappointed to have lost out to Dovizioso and Spies, but nevertheless it was another strong finish for the former 250 World Champion who has managed to avoid making major mistakes at the last two races. Still suffering from his nasty crash at Mugello, Hiroshi Aoyama (San Carlo Honda Gresini RC212V) struggled all weekend here, crossing the line in 15th position to claim the final point. Toni Elias (LCR Honda MotoGP RC212V) had another challenging race and finished 16th. Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda RC212V): race winner “It’s an incredible feeling to be back and win a race so early; I didn’t expect it, but this circuit has been always very good for me and I made it happen. I was already surprised yesterday with second position in qualifying and to finish the weekend in this way is amazing, a huge relief for me after a very hard time with injuries. Here I suffered less than in Mugello because of the layout, but in the race today I had a strange feeling, something I’ve never had before. At the beginning of the race I wasn’t feeling great on the bike, I was fourth, but I didn’t get nervous or worried because I’m still not mathematically out of the championship battle, but I know it’s almost impossible. So, I just let the laps pass and in the middle of the race, with less fuel in the tank and when the tyres started sliding, I decided to step it up a little and it worked perfectly. I’m very happy with this victory; I’ve been suffering a lot even though this race track is not physically demanding, because I’m still weak. So a big thanks to my family and doctors that helped me to be back here because they all know how hard it has been. Also to my team and to all my fans that never gave up, they deserve it also.” Casey Stoner, Repsol Honda: 3rd Andrea Dovizioso, Repsol Honda: 4th Marco Simoncelli, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 6th “It’s a shame because fourth place would have felt completely different. I was faster than Dovizioso for the first half of the race and maybe I took too long to pass him, losing contact with the leaders in the process. We passed each other a few times and then the tyre wear was so bad on the left side I was really struggling and it was hard to control the bike. I tried everything I could on the last lap but it wasn’t enough and Spies also came through. It is a shame but this was still a good race for us because we were close to the front and if we can just find another couple of tenths in race trim we’ll be fighting for wins.” Hiroshi Aoyama, San Carlo Honda Gresini: 15th “It wasn’t an easy race, especially the first half, but I tried to finish it in the best possible way. Unfortunately my physical condition has been a problem all weekend and I have not found it easy. I have tried to get more confident with the bike from session to session but it has been hard. I am sorry for the team and I hope to be in better shape for the next race at Laguna Seca.” Toni Elias, LCR Honda MotoGP: 16th — Suzuki Report Álvaro Bautista gave Rizla Suzuki its best dry result of the season so far with a gutsy and battling performance in Germany today. Starting from 10th on the grid, Bautista knew a good start was required and by the end of the first lap he had moved up into ninth place. Over the next two laps he became involved in what turned out to be a race-long battle with the Ducati’s of firstly Nicky Hayden and then also Valentino Rossi. The trio swapped places many times over the remainder of the race, but Bautista saved his best till last. He produced his quickest lap of the race on the penultimate lap and then badgered and passed both Rossi and then Hayden on the final corner to take a well deserved, but hard-fought seventh. Bautista chose the softer option of the Bridgestone race tyres today as the track temperatures and overcast, but humid conditions gave him the confidence to use the softer rubber. The 101,309 spectators at trackside were not only treated to the three way battle involving Bautista, but the action at the front was equally as hot, with Dani Pedrosa eventually coming out on top from World Champion Jorge Lorenzo in second, with current championship leader Casey Stoner third. Rizla Suzuki now heads straight to the United States of America for the next round on the calendar, which is scheduled for Sunday 24th July at the Laguna Seca Raceway in California. Álvaro Bautista: “I am happy with today’s result because it was a fun race and I am quite pleased with where we finished. At the beginning I had to try and get a good start, because in the first corner you have to be very careful with other riders. I got a decent start and was in a good position just behind the top riders, but I was a bit too far away from them, and my rhythm wasn’t quite as quick, so I couldn’t quite stay with them. I got involved with the two Ducati guys and really enjoyed the race with them. At the end it was very difficult to overtake Valentino and Nicky because they brake very hard and very late, making it tough to get past. On the last lap I overtook Valentino at the end of the main straight. I then followed Nicky and waited for the last two corners because I knew I had an opportunity there to get him. I had to brake with everything I had to get past him on corner 12, but I ran a bit wide and lost some speed, Nicky overtook me on the last corner, but he entered too quickly and he went out, so I got past him on the exit of the corner. I am very happy that we are the first finisher after the top six because they are on a different level at the moment. For the next race I hope to continue with this way of working and get closer to the top.” Paul Denning – Team Manager: “I think we showed this weekend at Sachsenring – a track that has traditionally been very tough for Suzuki – that both the GSV-R and the rider have made good steps in 2011 – despite the bad luck and huge injury at the start of the season. The high-speed crash that Álvaro suffered at the end of warm-up this morning was not ideal race preparation and it might have had a small effect on his ultimate pace, but nonetheless he dug deep and a rode a very entertaining and aggressive 30-laps. Maybe with a better qualifying position – which we have to keep working on – or with a luckier first couple of laps, he might have been able to tow along on the back of the fastest riders. We won’t know if that could have been the case until we get the opportunity again at Laguna Seca next week. It was an incredibly competitive race today, all the top riders finished and we were beaten by only the four Factory Hondas and the two Factory Yamahas – this weekend has definitely been a step in the right direction.” — Bridgestone Report Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Hard, Extra Hard. Rear (asymmetric): Medium, Hard Repsol Honda’s Dani Pedrosa took a close-fought victory in Germany today from second grid, setting a new lap record and a new total race time record to open an eventual winning margin of 1.477seconds. For much of the race though no rider led by more than one second, the top spot changing hands between Casey Stoner who crossed the line in third and Jorge Lorenzo who passed Stoner into the last corner on the final lap. The laptimes throughout were remarkably consistent as the top three set mid-to-low 1m 22s for the entire race. Despite the cloud cover and a slightly reduced track temperature, all the front-runners used Bridgestone’s extra hard compound front tyres and harder option rears. Despite being one step softer in Germany this year, race-distance durability of the rear slicks was very good. Pedrosa’s lap record came at two third race distance on lap 20, though he also set a provisional record on lap 9, and the total race time was over 9seconds faster than the previous benchmark. Further back the battles raged just as closely around the undulating 3.6km Sachsenring circuit. Andrea Dovizioso, Ben Spies and Marco Simoncelli hotly contested fourth position, all using the harder tyre options, whereas Álvaro Bautista used the softer option front and rear slicks to finish seventh, taking the chequered flag just ahead of Valentino Rossi and Nicky Hayden. Hiroshi Yamada – Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department Hirohide Hamashima – Assistant to Director, Motorsport Tyre Development Division Dani Pedrosa – Repsol Honda Team – Race Winner |
Moto2 Race Results | 125 Race Results |
1 / Marc MARQUEZ / SPA / SUTER 2 / Stefan BRADL / GER / KALEX / 0.896 3 / Alex DE ANGELIS / RSM / MOTOBI / 1.387 4 / Randy KRUMMENACHE / SWI / KALEX / 3.413 5 / Thomas LUTHI / SWI / SUTER / 4.185 6 / Yonny HERNANDEZ / COL / FTR / 7.691 7 / Scott REDDING / GBR / SUTER / 10.606 8 / Simone CORSI / ITA / FTR / 10.667 9 / Jules CLUZEL / FRA / SUTER / 12.079 10 / Michele PIRRO / ITA / MORIWAKI / 12.337 11 / Kenan SOFUOGLU / TUR / SUTER / 13.197 12 / Dominique AEGERTER / SWI / SUTER / 21.516 13 / Pol ESPARGARO / SPA / FTR / 21.652 14 / Andrea IANNONE / ITA / SUTER / 21.827 15 / Claudio CORTI / ITA / SUTER / 22.238 CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TO DATE: | 1 / Hector FAUBEL / SPA / APRILIA 2 / Johann ZARCO / FRA / DERBI / 0.272 3 / Maverick VIÑALES / SPA / APRILIA / 1.723 4 / Nicolas TEROL / SPA / APRILIA / 2.784 5 / Luis SALOM / SPA / APRILIA / 6.786 6 / Sergio GADEA / SPA / APRILIA / 13.116 7 / Jonas FOLGER / GER / APRILIA / 13.414 8 / Sandro CORTESE / GER / APRILIA / 13.71 9 / Danny KENT / GBR / APRILIA / 29.09 10 / Niklas AJO / FIN / APRILIA / 29.341 11 / Alberto MONCAYO / SPA / APRILIA / 33.483 12 / Toni FINSTERBUSCH / GER / KTM / 34.357 13 / Jakub KORNFEIL / CZE / APRILIA / 34.405 14 / Danny WEBB / GBR / MAHINDRA / 36.878 15 / Jasper IWEMA / NED / APRILIA / 36.878 CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TO DATE: |
— Moto 2
Marc Márquez took his third consecutive win – his fourth of the season – in the Moto2 race, ahead of local favourite Stefan Bradl and Alex de Angelis, who completed the podium in third. Bradl (Viessmann Kiefer Racing) had the hole shot off the start, but pole man Márquez (Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol) quickly took the lead on the first lap of the Sachsenring race, scrapping for the lead with the German until the Spaniard regained first position on lap 22 of 29 to take the win.
De Angelis (JiR Moto2), who started from the second row, pressured Bradl throughout the race, followed by Aleix Espargaró (Pons HP 40) and fourth row starter Yonny Hernández (Blusens-STX), until Espargaró and Max Neukirchner (MZ Racing) collided on lap five, ending the race for both of them. De Angelis was not able to make a move on Bradl, with the Italian finishing the race in third, half a second behind the German.
Randy Krummenacher (GP Team Switzerland Kiefer Racing) made his move on fellow countryman Thomas Lüthi (Interwetten Paddock Moto2) on the second to the last lap to grab fourth place after the two had sparred with De Angelis for third. Sixth place went to Hernández, with Scott Redding (Marc VDS Racing), who started 23rd on the grid, in seventh. Simone Corsi (Ioda Racing Project) finished eighth, Jules Cluzel (Forward Racing) ninth and Michele Pirro (Gresini Racing Moto2) in tenth.
A first corner incident took out Julián Simón (Mapfre Aspar), for whom the German GP was his first race back since breaking his leg at Catalunya on June 5th. Simón was unhurt though was unable to rejoin the race. Bradley Smith (Tech 3 Racing) ran off track in the same incident with Simón, rejoined the race, and then later crashed out.
Márquez remains second in the Championship, though has narrowed the gap to leader Bradl to 47 points at the halfway point of the season. The next Moto2 race will be the Brno round on August 14.
Marc Marquez, Team Catalunya Caixa Repsol-Suter: race winner “Before the race I knew we could make the difference at the end because we were very strong on used tyres. This track is a little special – you need confidence in the bike to really push. And this victory is so important, because I beat Bradl at his home track. He was so strong, but in the end I could push 100 per cent. At one point I let him past because 29 laps in front here is a long time – it’s important to control the other riders. Near the end I followed him for five laps and I could see that I could go faster. Three wins in a row is great because it’s so difficult to do this in Moto2, and it means that we can go into the holidays relaxed. I want to enjoy the moment and I don’t want to think about the title yet. Early in the season I made too many mistakes and lost many points, so I want to do this race by race. Everything is possible. The gap to Bradl is very big, so there’s no pressure on me. I can race for wins every race and we will see where we are at Valencia.”
Stefan Bradl, Viessmann Kiefer Racing-Kalex: 2nd “I knew he might be faster than me, but I was a bit surprised by my rear tyre losing so much near the end. I had expected to lose something because yesterday morning I crashed and in qualifying we had a problem with the front, so I lost some confidence in the front. We made some improvements to the front for qualifying and we made some more adjustments to the front for the race, so I expected to lose some rear grip. During the last five laps I realised that I was at the limit – that was enough. I’m very happy with my performance at the moment – it’s great to be one of the top guys, fighting for wins and making good results. It’s a good feeling to go into the holidays in this situation. I’m not thinking about the championship too much because we are only halfway.”
Alex De Angelis, JIR Moto2-Motobi: 3rd
“This podium is very, very important, even though it’s come quite late! Me and my team have spent a lot of energy this season. At first our new chassis didn’t like me, but now I feel very confident with the bike, so I was able to make a lot of overtakes in the race. I didn’t have enough speed on the straights though, so I was getting passed by the other guys a lot. I am happy for the podium and now we must continue working like this. I know I cannot fight for the World Championship, but I know I can fight for race wins.”
— 125
A breathtaking last lap battle between Héctor Faubel (Bankia Aspar), Johann Zarco (Avant-AirAsia-Ajo) and Maverick Viñales (Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing Team) in the 125cc race saw Frenchman Zarco make a move on Faubel out of the last corner of the race, crossing the finish line at the exact same time as the Spaniard. A video finish determined a tie between the two, and Faubel was awarded his first win of the season by virtue of having set a faster lap during the race than Zarco.
A great start by Sergio Gadea (Blusens by Paris Hilton Racing Team) put him in the lead at the start of the 27-lap race, where he was joined by the likes of Luis Salom (RW Racing GP), Miguel Oliveira (Team Andalucía Banca Cívica), Efrén Vázquez (Avant-AirAsia-Ajo), Nicolas Terol (Bankia Aspar) in an eight-man tussle for the lead. Meanwhile Viñales was pushed down to tenth at the start, giving the youngster who started on pole a tough job to scrap his way back to the front on the tight and twisty Sachsenring circuit.
Fierce racing ensued, with Terol, Vázquez and Gadea swapping the lead and no break in the front eight until Vázquez was forced off at turn one trying to out-brake everyone and ran off the track, taking him out of the lead pack with 11 laps to go. Vázquez later crashed out of the race while pushing hard to catch the leaders.
With ten laps to go, there were still six riders fighting fiercely at the front, with aggressive passing and bumping for position between the leaders. Terol faded from the front on lap 22, and Gadea was dropped shortly after when it appeared he had an issue with the clutch lever of the bike. Meanwhile Viñales had made his way up to Faubel and Zarco, and the three began the struggle for the lead until the photo finish.
Championship leader Terol finally finished in fourth, with Salom and Gadea in fifth and sixth. Jonas Folger (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport), who had tried to stay with the frontrunners but fell back halfway through, ended the race seventh, while Sandro Cortese (Intact Racing Team Germany), Danny Kent (Red Bull Ajo Motorsport) and Niklas Ajo (TT Motion Events Racing) completed the top ten positions.
— Red Bull Rookies
Alan Techer, the 16 year old Frenchman, scored his first Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup victory in the 2nd race of the German Grand Prix weekend at the Sachsenring. Chasing him across the line were two Germans, 15 year old Florian Alt ahead of 13 year old Willi Albert who was on the podium for the first time in his debut season.
It was another Rookies classic with 10 teens fighting for the lead including Cup leaders Arthur Sissis and Lorenzo Baldassarri. Points leader Sissis put in a great performance forcing his way through from his 3rd row start and into the lead while Baldassarri struggled to get away from the back of the group. The terrible luck that saw Sissis miss out on points in the first race due to mechanical problems followed the 16 year old Australian into race 2 as he crashed at the penultimate corner clipping the rear of Alt’s machine.
Italian 14 year old Baldassarri crossed the line 4th to take the points lead with 3 races remaining. “It was a great race, I enjoyed fighting in the group. It was tough though, every time I was lining up a rider in front to overtake someone from behind would overtake me. It worked a little better in the last few laps and I got a good run down the hill on the last lap and thought about passing Willi (Albert) but it was too risky and I am happy for 4th, sorry for Arthur (Sissis) but a lucky weekend for me.”
A new track for Baldassarri but also for Techer who missed last year’s event following his early season injury. “I am so thrilled to win the race, I was unhappy to miss out on the podium yesterday after such a tough race and leading. I had trouble with the bike yesterday the rear was sliding too much. But I realised it wasn’t the bike it was me, I just wasn’t using the right lines, we didn’t change the bike, I adapted and it worked well. I was a bit worried at one point when I saw a few drops of rain on my visor but they went away and I was so determined not to be passed on that last lap.”
Alt shrugged off is Saturday fall. “That’s history, I didn’t think about it. I didn’t make a good start but I settled in, I looked at the TV screen and saw we were all one big group so I just said to myself, ‘cool it’ and I relaxed a little then started working my way forward. By about lap 7 I got up to the front and then we had a great fight. On the last lap, going into the last 2 corners I was looking for a way past Alan but Arthur hit me and I was a bit too far back to try anything at the last corner.”
It was not only the first podium for Willi Albert but his first finish in the top 10. “Not surprisingly he was thrilled and a bit lost for words. “What a great race, a great fight, we were all passing at every corner, then on the last lap Arthur crashed in front of me and I got lucky with a place on the podium.”
Albert’s good fortune was a disaster for Sissis who explained it simply. “I was running through the corner looking for a good drive out but the guys in front had backed up and there was no missing Alt, I couldn’t do anything about it.”
Another who could view the race with almost equal disappointment was Brad Binder, the 15 year old South African who finished 9th. He was right at the front looking to go one better than 2nd from Saturday’s race until his petrol tank came loose. “That’s my fault,” said his father who looks after the bike. “He was riding so well. Still it’s great to see him up at the front again this weekend.” Brad was philosophical about it. “I am happy with the way I am riding again and looking forward to the last races. These things happen, I might even get a new phone out of dad on the way home,” he concluded with a grin.
Saturday’s winner Philipp Oettl was another who looked very much a potential winner leading for the first 6 laps. The 15 year old German did not make any excuses. “I didn’t do a good job today,” was his only comment.
Going into the last 3 races of the year Baldassarri has a 6 point lead over Sissis with Techer and Oettl also still in with a mathematical chance of wining the Cup. The next races are at the Grand Prix of the Czech Republic on August 13th and 14th.
Race 2 Classification
1. Alan Techer (FRA) 29 minutes 07.927 seconds
2. Florian Alt (GER) +0.088
3. Willi Albert (GER) +0.283
4. Lorenzo Baldassarri (ITA) +0.398
5. Tomas Vavous (CZE) +0.576
6. Philipp Oettl (GER) +0.689
7. Xavier Pinsach (ESP) +5.674
8. Stefano Valtulini (ITA) +5.812
9. Brad Binder (RSA) +5.913
10. Andrea Migno (ITA) +24.726
Series Standings
1. Baldassarri 172
2. Sissis 166
3. Techer 107
4. Oettl 107
5. Binder 85